Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-11-24
A CRAZY ENGINEER.
Thrilling Story OF the Lake Shore
Railroad.
"A Midnight Ride With n Mad Engineer
Experience of Old Bob Whit
taker, a Veteran Central
Engineer.

'Ihat was mighty exciting story
in the Ecening Sun the other day
about Engineer Botsworth. who went
mad in his locomotive cab on the
Wabash road out in Iowa, and, after
nearly wrecking the train. tried to
jump from the window" said old Bot
Whitaker, veteran engineer on the
New York Central yesterday. ''but il
wasn't a circumstance to the expert.
encc once had with crazy man al
the throttle"
Whitaker was urged to tell his
story, and proceeded in the deliberate
style of old-fashiOnel story-tellcr>:
Forty years on the foot-board are
not apt to pass without some thrilling
episodes" he began. land I've had
my share; but nothing ever made my
cap rise off my head and my heart sink
clear into my boots as did the event Pm
going 10 tell You about. 1t happened
u dozen years or SO ago. was rum
ming on the Lake Shore road then.
from Cleveland to Chicago. I'd lost
my job rs engineer. so l shipped as
fireman. The engineer was strong.
wiry man. considerably larger than
myself, named Zicl Franklin. He was
called one of the best engineers of the
West, but was 4 triflc eccentric. /
had been running as fireman with Zicl
for several months, when we started
one night to take the fast mail from
Cleveland to Chicago.
1T was drizzling. gloomy night
very much like what we've been hav-
ing in New York for week, and dark
CT than ton of Lackawanna coal. We
had No. 3l3. the biggest and newest
machine on the road, and terror for
speed. Our regular engine. No. 1872,
had been stabbed for repairs. I'm not
naturally supcrstitious. like most rail-
roaders. but the weather had made me
kind o blue, s'posc, or my supper
didn't set quite right. and as we pulled
out of the Cleveland station at 1915
p m. l couldn't help thinking about
that thirteen in the engines number.
Besides. twas early spring, the ground
was soft from the rain. and the going
was very dangerous. Ziel seemed to
be depressed by the weather or some
thing else. just rs l was. We logged
on and on into the inky darkness at a
steady pace of forty-tive miles an hour.
The heavy train of four mail and ex-
press ears. two day coaches and three
.sleepers rumbled monotonously behind
us. Neither Of us had spoken for an
hour. Zel was xatching the track rs
If he expected il to fly up and run away.
i was conjuring up more blue devils
over the nasty night and the presence
of that uulucy thirteen in the engine S
number
Suddenly. just as was wondering
for the odd lundredth time whether
there was any thing ia luck signs. any
way. Eel Jumped from his box and
threw open the furnace door. He
s: God motionless for fully minute.
.giaring into the fire.
"Oho! ihat's the way of it, eh?' he
cried at last. turning sharply to me.
The food of light from the red-hot
scoals poured full on his face. The
features were horribly distorted. and
his eyes buigcd from their sockets.
That's the way of it. eh?' lie repeat
sed. glowering ticrcely at me.
~ guess so. Ziel. said l. not know
ing what else 10 say. and trying to
force laugh. l had decided that he
was drunk.
..'Oho! that's it. eh?' he roared
again. 1t Is. Ell? Ohio! thought SO.
Well, make up the fire then
Il was too astoniShed to stir for an
instant. as I've fire needed no making
up. He noted my hesitation.
MAKE up that fret he yelled.
Heap her up, and be quick about it,
dye hear?'
without word 1 threw in several
:shovels of coal. Almost instantly the
steam gauge began to run up. Ziel
noted it complacently. He peered out
along the tracks again in grim silence
Presently he turned and said with a
fearful oath: Didn't tell you to heap
her up? She's freezing to death. man.
cant YOU see? Heap her up high. l
teb you, or by the living God Til toss
yon In there to help feed the famesr
Il threw in another small shovel of
coal and tried to shut the furnace
door. Zicl sR rang from mis- box. and
grabbing the shovel tossed in two or